One of "Them"

I spent some time scrubbing down my kitchen today and clearing the clutter and came to a realization. I'm now one of them! You see, there was a time (pre-children) that I would go to friends' homes and see cupboards with seven or eight open boxes of cereal and think "why in the world does anyone need that many boxes of cereal?" I thought that it was ridiculous and vowed that I would never be one of "those" mothers.

I started out really well. When my kids were small, I would buy one box of cereal and we would eat that until it was gone and I would buy another. Very sensible of me, right? Well, this went on for a while but, as the kids got a little bigger, they started developing their own likes and dislikes. I held out for a while, making them agree on just one cereal to buy. Eventually though, the bickering got to be too much and I thought to myself "it wouldn't hurt to let them each choose one, would it?". Yes, I talk to myself all the time; it helps the thought process.

Well, my friends, that was the on-ramp to the slippery slope to becoming one of "those" mothers. As you can see in the pic above, I found six open boxes of cereal today, four boxes of which only had about two inches each of cereal in them! After a bit of consolidation, I brought them down to two boxes. I should hear a good amount of squawking from the young ones the next time they pour from those boxes!

My one consolation is the knowledge that I'm not alone. I'm sure that there are many of us; one big, happy, cereal hoarding club. LOL

Kat

Time for Reflection and Change

Since starting this blog last August, I haven't really shown a knack for posting regularly. You can just call me Ms. Procrastination. You know, "I should really do this but, well, maybe I'll do it tomorrow". I am a master at this; not just with my blog but in all aspects of my life.

The fact that I am hitting the big 4-0 in a couple of weeks is really making me stop and take a look at my life and how I manage it. Usually, I see age as just a number and don't pay much attention but this milestone is really hitting me in a way that I never expected it to. Taking a good hard look at my life, I can't say that I really like what I see. Don't get me wrong, I have two wonderful, healthy children that I wouldn't trade for anything and a solid job that allows me to give my children a decent life and I am thankful for these things. The part that I don't like is far more personal; something within myself.

I always put off or run away from anything remotely uncomfortable be it dealing with a financial problem, an issue with a family member, or something more mundane like housecleaning (dusting is the bane of my existence). I have a tendancy to take the easier path which explains why I have too many pounds on my booty, clutter in my path and stay home far too much rather than put myself out there meeting new people. Heaven forbid I risk rejection!

On a positive note, I have been making some effort at getting out of my shell. Joining up with Twitter and actually interacting with people that I've never met is a huge step for me. The impact of the positive feedback that I feel there has been immense. Look at me, I even started a blog! For someone as intensely private as I am, that is pretty damn amazing! Who knows, I may even go out and meet new people face to face next ;) Will wonders never cease?!

I have never been one to make New Year's resolutions but I think that it's time to make a "life" resolution this year, the year of my fortieth birthday. It's time to get my life in order; improve my finances, strengthen the friendships in my life, clean out the clutter, spend more quality time with my kids....maybe even find someone to fill the empty side of my bed. I also resolve to post on this blog at least once a week. Maybe I'll use it to chronicle this "year of self-improvement".

It'll be interesting to see where these lofty goals take me. For now, I think that I'll start slowly by washing the dishes and getting my son moving on that project he has due at school. Baby steps......

Kat

Accentuate the Positive!

There is something that I've been noticing lately. We all seem to almost revel in pointing out the negative things about other people. At work, we talk about other coworkers' weaknesses; mistakes, absenteeism, attitude, etc. With family and friends, don't we all engage in gossip? You know, how person A slighted person B; this person is jealous of that one; lack of housekeeping skills; those horrible cookies she made last week; oh, and don't get me started on HER haircut! As parents, we have the horrible habit of comparing others' parenting skills to our own (unfavourably, of course!).

Why do we do this? Do we really feel better when we put other people down? I believe the idea is to build ourselves up by pointing out the weaknesses of others. Why then, do I always feel a bit crappy after engaging in this behaviour? When you build yourself up by tearing others down, that tower that you put yourself on is really pretty darned rickety. After all, look at the foundation that you've built it on. Maybe that crappiness that I feel is seasickness from the swaying of my tower. Mmmmm....

This behaviour is so common that we have a hard time taking a compliment. When someone says something nice about me or my kids, I blush and get totally speechless; fumbling through (hopefully) graceful thank yous. Why are we so shy about complimenting each other? How hard is it to tell someone that they are doing a good job, have great style, are a good mom...

This evening I said something nice (and true!) to one of my Twitter friends who was feeling the blahs. She responded with a "thanks" and let me know that she hadn't been fishing for compliments. Since when is turning to friends when you are feeling down fishing for a compliment? When you are down, your friends (even just Twitter friends) are supposed to be there for you pointing out the things that lift you up. That's what we are there for.

Maybe if we make the effort to find something positive to say to someone, friend or stranger, each day our own personal towers will have stronger foundations. Now, that would be something to feel good about.

Kat

What a week!

Wow, has it really been three weeks since I last did a blog entry?! I've been so busy lately that my online presence has been spotty at best. I've been spending some down-time this weekend letting my Facebook and Twitter friends know that I really am still alive. I am totally behind on my blog reading too although I just had a really good laugh at @WhyIsDaddyCryin's blog about pink duck's day out (http://www.whyisdaddycrying.com/). That man is just too funny and boy did I ever need that laugh after this week!

My little Drama Girl was down with a nasty little bug last week and, of course, generously passed it on to me. It's amazing how, when they get sick, they look pitiful for a few days, then are bright-eyed and bushy tailed and ready to face the world again. They pass that same bug on to their poor parents and those poor adults are down for a week (or more). Anyway, after lying around all last weekend, I decided that I would drag my poor, sorry butt to work on Monday (talk about a work ethic) and went to check my bank balance online because I wanted to hit the drugstore on the way.

Imagine my surprise when, instead of being greeted by a healthy balance waiting for my rent cheque to pass, I found that $500 had been withdrawn from my account. This wouldn't be so bad if it had been ME who made that withdrawal! A phone call to my bank's security division revealed that they were already on it (they are definitely good) and I would get my money back in seven to ten days but, until then, I was on my own with a couple of cheques floating around out there just waiting to pass through my account. Eeek! Luckily, I have a pretty decent ex-husband who, when he heard of my dilemma, offered to loan me the money. Thanks to Stinky, both of those cheques passed through my account without a hitch. I owe him a BIG favour! (again, eek!)

My work-week wasn't much better. I just couldn't do anything right and spent most of the week trying to keep under my boss' radar; something that I mostly succeeded at, thank goodness! I don't think that I could have taken a lecture in my frame of mind. My stress levels had me kinda high strung and I even had an eye-twitch to prove it. I pretty much stuck to my corner, coughing and feeling pretty darned miserable. Of course, after a start like that, could I really have expected this week to be a good one? When 5:00 came on Friday, I couldn't get out that door fast enough.

I may not be able to redo last week but, hopefully, this coming one will get off to a better start. I think that I'll go bake some cookies; you know, nudge things in the right direction

Kat

p.s. the bug that my daughter passed on to me was just a good old fashioned cold so, please, don't lecture me about spreading the swine flu around....oink, oink (oops!)